LG New Chocolate BL40

MORE: take a look at our video review of the LG New Chocolate BL40

It’s clear the New Chocolate BL40 phone from LG has been designed with style in mind.

Whether that style appeals is a personal matter. We found the long and thin handset a little unwieldy, but it does have an impressively wide display.

It uses the same so-called S-Class interface as other recent LG models, shunning the more popular phone operating systems such as Google’s Android or the Symbian used by Nokia handsets.

That means it’s not compatible with the ‘apps’ those phones use, which can be downloaded and installed to improve the phones’ features. Instead, the BL40 comes with several ‘apps’ pre-loaded.

The display was clear and sharp, and the touch-sensitive screen was responsive and quick. There are several versions of the home screen, which you get to by flicking a finger across the screen, each of which can be customised to show different icons. The colourful menus were easy to navigate.

The phone’s shape will make it a talking point but it’s not the only thing we found awkward – there’s that ‘New Chocolate’ name, for another. It’s not as smart as the HTC HD2, for instance, but it’s an impressive handset that works well.

MORE: take a look at our video review of the LG New Chocolate BL40